Tinseltown may have the glitz, but Hollywood Station has beaches

This pool is for residents of the apartment condos.

Photograph by: Handout photo
, Hollywood Station

Looking for some place to hang out, to chill, to get a real touch of small-town Florida?

You might want to consider Hollywood.

While the other Hollywood in California might have all the glitter and glam, this Florida beach city of some 130,000 people moves at a much slower pace.

In part, it's that relaxed atmosphere - along with a strong Canadian dollar and weak U.S. real estate prices - that are attracting Canadians to the gulf state.

"We're seeing tremendous growth in the number of Canadians coming down here," says Vanessa Grout, president and CEO of real estate broker Douglas Elliman Florida, "About 25 per cent of our realtors have done deals with Canadians - mostly from Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal - in the past year."

The company was selected by the Lamondin Group, which manages the Hollywood Station residential development in downtown Hollywood, Fla., to sell the project's remaining $20 million US worth of inventory.

In the past year, more than 120 residences have been sold at the development, which consists of 360 apartment condos, townhouses and lofts.

Apartments measuring 1,025 to 1,522 square feet are priced between $150,000 and $240,000, while lofts ranging from 954 to 1,460 square feet are priced between $150,000 and $225,000.

The 2,112-square-foot townhouses carry price tags between $250,000 and $260,000.

Like most other regions of Florida, Hollywood is working its way back from the recession, which had a negative impact on real estate prices and activity.

"Finally after years of abuse, the market is beginning to recover," says Grout. "We're noticing an incremental improvement in prices and sales - and inventory levels are down."

But there are still good values to be had, along with a more diverse group of interested buyers, she says.

Hollywood Station is centrally located within a few kilometres of Hollywood Beach, Gulfstream Park, Aventura Mall, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino - along with Fort Lauderdale and its international airport - all of which adds to the appeal as a second home.

"We've been seeing a larger number of prospective buyers coming in from the northeast U.S. and local buyers," says Richard Lamondin, president of Lamondin Group. "But we are continuing to work in international markets with investors who want to diversify and are looking for trusted assets."

Grout says the Hollywood market continues to heat up as a model for "urban-living" real estate - taking advantage of the growing appeal of the beachside city, where there are new upscale shopping and entertainment centres available in south Florida.

"Hollywood Station is a great opportunity for anyone looking to safeguard their investment and buy into a vibrant location that is flourishing with new development activity," says Grout.

DID YOU KNOW?

Hollywood, Fla., is a mature and almost built-out community. Rapid growth in the 1950s and 1960s has given way to a population that is stable in size, but undergoing significant changes in its composition.

A coastal city of more than 130,000 residents in Broward County, Hollywood is between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport abuts the city, while Port Everglades, the second busiest cruise port in the world, is partially within its municipal boundaries. Interstate 95, the Florida Turnpike, Tri-County Commuter Rail, and two major railroads cut through the city in a north-south direction. Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami are less than 40 kilometres away.

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